Sorry it has been a while...

Here is a letter that I just sent out...in case I missed anyone.

My dearest friends,
I know it has been a very long time since I have written and I am very sorry for that. At the end of September my computer’s hard drive died and I have been using my school computer for basic internet needs since then. However, I was able to send my computer back to America with a friend to be fixed and I got it back when I visited my family for Christmas, but then again, I am getting ahead of myself.
At the end of September our school faculty took a retreat together. We had a wonderful weekend relaxing and getting to know each other better. The next week I got a cold that quickly developed into pneumonia. Dad taught me a lot about patience and admitting my own weakness as I battled pneumonia for the next 4 weeks. It was horrible and all I did during those weeks was sleep, talk to Dad, and watch movies. Luckily I had a companion in my roommate who was just as sick as I was and started going back to school just a week before I did. I was only one of 5 cases of pneumonia within our school faculty and their families.
However, I finally returned to school at the beginning of November and I have never been more glad to be anywhere in my life. I had to take things slowly, but I returned with a passion that I had not had before. That month went quickly as we prepared for Thanksgiving. In our class we did a unit on Thanksgiving and held a very successful Thanksgiving lunch in our class. We had a lot of fun and the parents were a great support.
During Thanksgiving break, the teaching staff went to Hong Kong for a conference. It made the break exhausting, but I learned a great deal. When we got back we did not stop running until Christmas break. In my classroom we began a unit called Christmas around the World. We explored 9 countries and their Christmas traditions during our unit and the kids were very excited to have their very own “passports” to visit each country. During December we also had a Christmas Program, a Christmas Fair, and a Christmas Day. It is the busiest month that we have had all year.
When break came I was more than a little excited for a break. In early September I had bought a ticket to go see my best friend, Anna, in Minnesota. After I got pneumonia my mother also told me that she wanted to see me over break and I traveled there to go see her and my family in New Mexico for Christmas. Spending time in both places was wonderful and exhausting. I finally got over jet lag after one and a half weeks only to come back to China 4 days later. I spent a lot nights that I was unable to sleep talking to Anna until all hours of the night and I did enough shopping to make a person crazy while I was with my sister. You would not believe the shouts of excitement and joy a new baking pan will bring out of someone living in China.
Overall the last three months have been everything was horrible to wonderful but I was very happy to find that when I returned to America I did not find it hard to leave. Now, don’t get me wrong. I already miss my family and friends and I wish they were here with me, but after 5 days in America I found myself missing China desperately. When I got off the plane in Beijing on the way back I almost started crying because I knew in that instant that I was home. I have no idea how a country that I had no intention of loving went from the place I worked the home in just five months, but I know for sure that I will love China for the rest of my life. I hope that Dad never asks me to leave, but if he does then I know it will be for the better.
I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year. How are you all doing? I would love to hear from you!
In Him,
Amy